


As You Wish

by A_once_and_future_love



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Princess Bride Fusion, As you wish, M/M, Temporary Character Death, True Love, pirate!Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2013-11-10
Packaged: 2018-01-01 02:22:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_once_and_future_love/pseuds/A_once_and_future_love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin promised that he would return for Arthur, but that was before he was murdered by pirates. Now, after five years, Arthur is kidnapped as a means to start a war, and only the pirate who murdered his love can help him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As You Wish

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first fanfiction I ever finished (it's also on FanFiction.net), and I thought I'd post it over here as well. 
> 
> I don't own The Princess Bride or Merlin, which are both fan-freakin-tastic

Arthur was raised as a prince in the grand kingdom of Camelot. His favorite pastimes were training and tormenting his manservant, Merlin, though he never called him that. He would only refer to the boy as idiot, or buffoon or dollophead. Nothing gave Arthur as much pleasure as ordering Merlin around. He would command his servant to do the most difficult and tedious of tasks, and all Merlin would ever say to him was "As you wish".

The day came when Arthur realized that when Merlin said "As you wish", what he really meant was "I love you", and the young prince was amazed when he realized that he truly loved the servant back. Knowing that Arthur's father, King Uther, would never allow them to be together, Merlin decided to pack the few belongings he had and to go out to sea and find his fortune, so that one day when Arthur was king, he could return and they could be together.

Before he left, Arthur made Merlin swear that they would see each other again, and the servant promised that he would always come for him. When Arthur asked how he could be so sure, Merlin smiled and answered, "This is true love. Do you think this happens every day?"

But Merlin never made it to his destination. His ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Cenred, who never left captives alive. When Arthur received word that his love had been murdered, he locked himself in his chambers for days, neither sleeping nor eating. It was then that he swore to himself that he'd never love again.

* * *

It was five years later when Uther decided that it was time for Arthur to assume the throne of Camelot. The king was very ill, and was not expected to last much longer, but he hid his illness well as he stepped out onto the balcony to make his announcement.

"People of Camelot, a month from now, our kingdom with celebrate its 100th anniversary. On that day my son, Prince Arthur, will be married, and I will step down as king so that he may assume the throne. May I present to you Arthur and his bride-to-be, the Lady Morgana, Princess of Avalon."

He stepped to the side as Arthur walked out onto the balcony with a beautiful, dark-haired woman on his arm. Morgana smiled and acknowledged the crowd, but Arthur just stared out at the people blankly. The prince's emptiness had consumed him. Although he was arranged to marry the Lady Morgana, he did not love her. Despite his father's reassurances that he would grow to love the beautiful lady, the only real joy he found was his daily ride, which gave him a taste of the freedom he hadn't truly felt since Merlin's passing.

It was on one of these rides, a few days before the wedding, when the prince came across three men on his regular trail. One was an older man with black hair and an unsettling air about him, the second was a giant, but he had a much kinder face and the third was a rogue looking man with very nice hair and a charming smile. Each carried a sword on his hip.

"Excuse me." The older man stepped closer to the prince with a grin. "We are but poor, lost travelers, my lord. Are there any towns or villages nearby?"

The prince shook his head. "There is nothing around for miles." Before the prince knew what was happening, the giant knocked him in the back of the head with the butt of his sword and the prince fell from his horse, unconscious.

The men carried the prince to their boat, where the older man began ripping something from a piece of old fabric. The rogue raised his eyebrow.

"Agravaine, what are you ripping?" he called to the man.

"Fabric from the uniform of a knight of Mercia." The older man explained.

"Mercia?" the larger man asked, causing Agravaine to roll his eyes.

"Yes, Mercia. The sworn enemies of Camelot." He tied attached the fabric to the prince's saddle and urged the horse back to Camelot. "Once the prince's horse returns home without a rider, the king will be furious. He will suspect the Mercians, and when he finds the prince's body on Mercian land, his suspicions will be confirmed and he will declare war."

The giant's eyes widened. "You never said anything about killing anyone."

Agravaine let out an exasperated sigh. "Percival, we are helping to start a war. There are going to be casualties."

Percival shrugged. "I just don't see why we have to kill him is all."

"I agree with Perce." The rogue chimed in and Agravaine looked at him pointedly.

"What happens to him is not truly your concern. I will be the one to kill him! Don't forget, Gwaine, that when I found you, you were so slobbering drunk you couldn't buy a tankard of ale! And you," he turned to back to Percival. "Do you want me to send me back to where I found you? Homeless, friendless, unemployed?"

The giant looked down at his feet and Agravaine boarded the boat angrily with Percival and Gwaine following closely behind him. The prince had yet to stir when they finally cast off towards Mercia and Arthur's doom.

* * *

Night had fallen and Arthur sat quietly on the deck of the boat, trying to think of a means of escape. The rogue sat on the back of the boat, staring behind them while the giant stood across from the prince, guarding him.

"We'll reach the cliffs by dawn." Agravaine announced before looking up at Gwaine, who was still looking behind them. "Why are you doing that?"

Gwaine shrugged. "Making sure we're not being followed."

"That would be impossible."

"Despite what you think, you will be caught." The prince spoke up. "And when you are, my father will see you all hanged."

Agravaine smirked and leaned down into the prince's face. "Of all the necks on this boat, highness, the one you should be worried about is your own." He chuckled before glancing over and seeing Gwaine looking behind them again.

"Would you stop doing that? We can all relax, it's almost over."

The rogue looked back at the older man. "Are you sure that no one is following us?"

"As I told you it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways inconceivable. No one in Mercia knows what we've done, and no one in Camelot could have gotten here so fast." He leaned back and closed his eyes for a few seconds before sitting up quickly. "Just out of curiosity, why do you ask?"

"I just happened to look behind us and saw someone there."

Agravaine jumped up quickly and ran back to where Gwaine was standing. Off on the horizon was a small boat that was getting closer and closer to them.

"It's probably nothing." Agravaine tried to convince himself before hearing a loud splash. He turned around to see that the prince had jumped overboard and was now swimming away from the boat. He nudged Gwaine. "What are you waiting for? Go in after him!"

"I don't swim."

They looked to the giant who shook his head. "I only dog paddle."

Agravaine let out an angry yell as he rushed over to the railing and began shouting orders at Gwaine and Percival.

Arthur was about ten yards away from the boat when he began to hear loud wails coming from the water. He gasped as something passed by his leg and he heard his captor yell from the boat, "You hear that, highness? Do you know what it is? They're shrieking eels. If you don't believe me, just wait. They always get louder when they're about to feast on human flesh."

Arthur began to panic as an eel passed right by his face. They were getting louder. "If you swim back now," Agravaine continued. "I promise that no harm will come to you. I doubt the eels will give you such an offer."

The prince looked out at the water and saw a large eel coming right for him. He couldn't think of what to do except watch as the creature opened its mouth and moved in for the kill.

Suddenly, a large hand clobbered the eel, as the other grabbed the collar of the prince's shirt and hoisted him back into the boat.

"Put him down!" Agravaine ordered Percival as he pulled him back onboard. "Just put him down!"

Arthur was panting from his near death experience as Agravaine threw a blanket over his shoulders.

"I think he's getting closer." Gwaine announced, keeping an eye on the boat behind them.

"Never mind him; he's no concern of ours." Agravaine declared. "Sail on!" The older man turned his attention back to the prince who had begun to calm down. "I suppose you think you're brave, don't you?"

"Only compared to some." The prince answered coldly.

* * *

The next morning, the three bandits were rushing about the boat when the rogue looked over his shoulder. "Agravaine, he's right on top of us." He announced, pointing to the small boat. Agravaine grinned sinisterly.

"Whoever he is, he's too late." He stated as the boat approached the Cliffs of Insanity. Arthur glanced at the boat behind him, thinking that it might be his father's knights, but it was unfamiliar and he could only see a dark figure moving on board. He felt the boat lurch as they docked at the edge of the cliff, where a rope was hanging down waiting for them. Agravaine drew his dagger and held it at the prince's throat, instructing him to stand up, hands bound, and climb out of the boat. Grabbing some rope from the boat, he tied himself, the prince and Gwaine to Percival and ordered the giant to climb the rope. They were about two miles off the ground when their mysterious pursuer caught up with their boat.

"We're safe, only Percival is strong enough to go up our way." Agravaine reassured. "He'll have to sail around for hours 'till he finds a harbor."

Gwaine looked down at the ground as the man jumped from his boat and walked over to the cliff face.

"He's climbing the rope." The rogue declared, amazed. "And he's gaining on us."

Agravaine looked down the rope and saw that Gwaine was right. "That's impossible. How is he gaining? Move faster!" He barked and within a few minutes, Percival had successfully pulled them to the top of the cliff. Agravaine quickly untied himself from the giant and rushed over to the rock that the rope was secured on. He quickly cut through the rope and watched with glee as it slid off the cliff. Percival untied Gwaine and Arthur from his side and rushed to the edge of the cliff. He raised his eyebrow, impressed.

"He had very good arms."

Agravaine, who was now blindfolding the prince, turned to the giant. "He didn't fall?"

Percival shook his head and the older man rushed to look over the side. A small, masked man dressed entirely in black clung onto the cliff wall. The rouge came over and looked down as the man began to move up the cliff. "My god, he's climbing. Who is he?"

"Whoever he is, he has seen us with the prince and must die. You," Agravaine pointed to Percival. "Carry him." He nodded to the prince. "We will head to straight for the Mercian frontier. Gwaine, you catch up with us when the man's dead."

Gwaine nodded and Agravaine walked off. Percival put a hand on the rouge's shoulder. "Be careful."

"Thank you, my friend."

Percival picked up the prince and threw him over his shoulder before following Agravaine away from the cliff.

* * *

Gwaine stood by and waited for the man, drawing his sword and practicing some parries. After a few minutes, he looked over the edge and saw that the man in black had only made it up a few inches.

"Hello down there!" he called to him. "Slow going?"

The man in black sighed and looked up at the rogue. "I don't mean to be rude or anything but this is not as easy as it looks, so I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't distract me."

Gwaine held up his hands apologetically. "Sorry." He watched as the man struggled to find a foothold.

"I don't suppose you could speed things up a bit?" he called down again, and the other man scoffed.

"If you're in such a hurry, you could at least lower a rope or a tree branch."

"I could do that, there is still some rope up here. But I don't think that you'd want my help since I'm just waiting up here to kill you."

The man in black pursed his lips. "That does put a damper in our relationship."

"What if I promised that I would not kill you until you reached the top?"

He shook his head. "No, I've known too many men who would go back on a promise like that."

"Is there anything that I can say that would get you to trust me?"

"Can't think of anything."

Gwaine sighed solemnly. "I swear on the soul of my father, you will reach the top alive."

The man in black looked the rogue in the eye for a few seconds before nodding. "Throw me the rope."

When he finally reached the top, the man in black drew his sword. Gwaine held up his hand. "Wait until you're ready. I wouldn't want to fight an unfair fight."

The other man nodded and sheathed his weapon. "Thank you." He sat down on a nearby rock and removed his boots, emptying them of dirt and rocks that had fallen inside.

"You're wounded." Gwaine pointed to where the man had cut himself on one of the rocks.

"Oh." The man put his hand over the wound and whispered something in another language. His eyes flashed gold and when he moved his hand, the cut was gone. Gwaine's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're a sorcerer?" The other man nodded.

"I wouldn't suppose you know a blonde sorceress with brown eyes?"

"Can't say that I do, why?"

The rogue bit his lip. "She murdered my father." He sat down across from the man in black. "He was a knight in Caerleon's army, and one day she came to the court to threaten the king. My father fought her, but she used her magic to tear him apart. I picked up his sword and challenged her to a duel, but she sneered and gave me these." He rolled up his sleeves to show long burn marks on his arms.

"How old were you?"

"I was thirteen. After that, I dedicated my life to fighting, and hunting down the witch who killed my father. "

"You've spent your whole life searching for her?" the man in black asked, intrigued.

Gwaine nodded. "It's been fifteen years now and I'm starting to lose confidence. I just work for Agravaine to pay the bills. There's not a lot of money in revenge. But one day, I'm going to look her in the eye, and say 'Hello, my name is Gwaine. You killed my father, prepare to die.' And I will take my father's sword, and stick it through her stomach."

The man in black nodded in understanding before standing up from the rock. "Well, I hope you find her."

"You ready then?"

"Yes, you've been more than fair."

The rogue smiled and drew his sword. "I like you. I'm sorry that I have to kill you."

The other man drew his sword and shrugged. "I quite like you as well. I hate to die."

The two men began to fight and the rogue was immediately impressed by the other man's skill with a sword. He had never met anyone before who could hold their own against him. They fought for several minutes, each getting the advantage at some point before the other robbed them of it. Suddenly, the man disarmed the rouge and held his sword at his throat.

"Who are you?" Gwaine asked, out of both shock and amazement.

"I'm no one."

"Please, I have to know."

"Get used to disappointment."

The rogue kneeled. "Kill me quickly."

The man in black circled him, sword pointed at his neck. "You have been fair to me, and it would be a shame to kill such a skilled swordsman. But, I also can't have you following me." The man's eyes flashed gold and Gwaine was knocked unconscious. The man in black sheathed his sword and ran towards the Mercian frontier, hoping to reach the other bandits before it was too late.

Agravaine watched from the top of a hill as the man in black began to catch up with him. He snorted. "Impossible. Put the prince down." He ordered. Percival obliged and Agravaine tied a piece of rope to those around the prince's wrists. "I'll take him, you catch up with us."

He began to walk up the path, dragging the prince behind him, when Percival shouted after him. "What do I do?"

"Finish him off!" Agravaine called back before disappearing over the next hill.

* * *

Morgana studied the ground near the cliff face, where there'd obviously been a fight of some kind. When the prince's horse had been found without a rider, the princess had urged the king to allow herself and her best knights to go after him in the king's stead. Uther, who was too weak to even crawl out of his bed, had agreed, and they left almost immediately. Now, the party stood at the Cliffs of Insanity, and Morgana felt that their chances of finding the prince alive were weakening.

"What do you see?" the princess' personal guard and sister, Morgause, asked as Morgana began to follow the path of the footsteps in the dirt.

"There was a duel. It ranged all over. They were both master swordsmen." She exclaimed, as she came to the place where the fight ended.

"Who won? How did it end?"

Morgana knelt down to examine the footprints better. "The loser ran off alone, and the winner followed those footprints toward Mercia." She pointed towards the hills in the distance.

"Shall we track them both?"

"No, my sister." Morgana shook her head "The loser is nothing to us; the only thing that matters is finding Arthur."

"Morgana, this was clearly planned by the Mercians. Don't you think it may be a trap?"

The princess looked to her sister and smirked. "Of course it is."

* * *

The man in black rushed around the bend, only to be met with a huge rock crashing against one of the large boulders behind him. Percival stepped out from behind a similar boulder and looked at the smaller man. "I missed on purpose. I could have killed you."

The man in black nodded, looking back at where the rock had hit. "I believe you." He paused and looked at the larger man. "So, what now?"

Percival shrugged. "We face each other man-to-man. No swords, no rocks. Just natural skill alone."

The other man nodded, taking his sword and placing it on the ground. The giant did the same. The smaller man tried to surprise the giant by charging at him full on, but Percival just stood there, not even affected by the man's attacks. The man in black stepped back and looked at him, agitated.

"Are you just playing games with me or what?"

Percival shrugged again. "I just want you to feel you are doing well. I hate for people to die embarrassed."

"Well, that's very kind of you. Thank you." The smaller man smiled before sliding under the larger man's legs.

"You're quick." Percival noted, turning around quickly to face his opponent.

"Good thing, too." The man replied, nimbly jumping away as the giant lunged at him.

"Why are you wearing a mask? Were you burned by acid or something like that?" he asked. The mysterious man shrugged.

"Not really, they're just terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future." He joked, dodging another blow. The giant came at him again and, knowing that he couldn't avoid being hit this time, the man used his magic to make Percival slip and fall. The giant hit his head on a rock as he hit the ground, knocking him unconscious. The man in black stood over Percival and shook his head.

"I do not envy the headache you will have when you awake, but in the meantime, rest well." And with that, he grabbed his sword and ran after the third bandit and his prize.

* * *

 

When the man in black finally caught up to his quarry, Agravaine was sat down at a small table holding a dagger at the prince's throat.

"So, it's down to you and me." The older man announced as the man in black approached the table. The closer he got, the more force Agravaine put on his dagger, causing it to dig into the prince's skin. "If you wish him dead, by all means keep moving forward."

The man held up his hands. "Allow me explain…"

Agravaine sneered. "There is nothing to explain. You wish to kidnap the prince that I have rightfully taken."

"Perhaps an arrangement can be reached?" the man suggested, taking another step closer.

Agravaine dug the knife deeper, causing the prince to wince in pain. "There will be no arrangements...and you're killing him." The man in black stopped.

"Then, it seems that we've reached an impasse."

"I'm afraid so. I cannot compete with you physically, and you are no match for my brains."

The man pursed his lips and nodded. "Well, in that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits."

"For the prince? To the death?" The older man grinned, putting down the dagger. "I accept."

"Good." The man sat down and motioned to two goblets that were set out on the table. "Pour the wine."

As Agravaine filled the goblets, the man in black reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical vial. Taking off the lid, the man held the vial out to the older man. "Smell this, but do not touch it."

Agravaine sniffed the contents of the vial and shrugged. "I smell nothing."

"It is iocaine powder. It is odorless, tasteless, and dissolves instantly in liquid and is one of the most deadly poisons known to man." The man in black took the two goblets and turned his back to the older man. After a few seconds, he turned back around and set one goblet in front of himself and the other in front of Agravaine. "Alright, where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink - and find out who is right, and who is dead."

Agravaine scoffed. "This is child's play. You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong...so you could have put the poison in your own goblet trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my rogue, which means you must have studied...and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You're trying to get me to reveal something. It won't work."

"But it already has worked. I know where the poison is."

"Then make your choice."

"I choose… what is that over there?" he asked, pointing behind the man in black. The man turned and Agravaine quickly switched the goblets.

The man turned back around. "I didn't see anything."

"It doesn't matter. Now, let's drink; me from my glass and you from yours." He and the man in black each raised their goblets and drank. The man in black smiled as they sat their goblets back down. "You guessed wrong."

Agravaine smirked. "You only think that I guessed wrong. I switched the goblets when you weren't looking!" he chuckled before falling to the ground dead. The man in black rolled his eyes as he reached across the table to remove the prince's blindfold. Arthur looked at the strange man's face and frowned.

"Who are you?"

"I'm no one to be trifled with." He replied, untying the prince's wrists. "And that is all you'll ever need to know."

The prince rubbed his wrists and stared down at the dead man on the ground. "And to think, all that time it was your cup that was poisoned."

The man in black grinned. "They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up immunity to iocaine powder." He grabbed the prince's hand and began to drag him away towards the hills.

* * *

After running for a few miles, the man in black and Arthur stopped. The man dropped the prince's hand. They stood at the top of rather steep hill, on the other side of which was a forest. The man in black motioned for Arthur to sit on a nearby rock.

"Rest and catch your breath." He ordered, leaning against a rock not far away.

The prince sat and stared at the strange man coldly. "Whatever you're planning to do, you won't succeed."

"Is that so? Who will come for you, the Lady Morgana?" the man smirked. Arthur clenched his jaw.

"Morgana may be a woman, but she is brilliant and determined. She will come after you with an army of knights at her disposal."

"So, you believe your dearest love will save you?" the man asked irritably.

"I never said that I loved her."

The man snorted. "You're not capable of love, you mean."

"I have loved more deeply than a killer like yourself could ever dream!" Arthur snapped, and in two strides, the man in black was standing in front of him, sword at the prince's throat.

"Consider this a warning, your royal pratness." He threatened, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I have told you before; I am not one to be trifled with."

He walked back over to his rock, stabbing the sword into the ground. The prince bit his lip and stared daggers at his new captor.

"I know who you are." He stated. The man raised his eyebrow. "Your malice reveals everything. You're the Dread Pirate Cenred. You may as well admit to it!"

The man held his hands out and smiled. "With pride. What can I do for you?"

The prince stood. "You can die a slow and painful death."

"Well, that's hardly complimentary, is it? What have I done?"

Arthur took a deep breath. "You murdered my love."

The man shrugged. "It is possible. I kill a lot of people. Who was your love, another rich, beautiful princess?"

"No, he was my manservant. He was clumsy and idiotic and absolutely perfect in every way." The man in black nodded in understanding as the prince explained. "He left for the seas with a promise that one day, he'd return and we'd be together, but you attacked his ship, and the Dread Pirate Cenred never takes prisoners."

"I can't afford to make exceptions. I mean once word leaks out that a pirate has gone soft people begin to disobey him and its nothing but work, work, work all the time." The man jested. Arthur jumped up and grabbed the man's sword from the ground, and pointed it threateningly at the pirate.

"You mock my pain!"

The pirate looked at the prince, unimpressed as he used his magic to disarm him. "Life is pain, highness!" he spat. "Anyone who says differently is selling something." He picked his sword back up off the ground and sheathed it.

"I believe I remember this serving boy of yours. It would've been about five years ago, wouldn't it?" he recounted, looking for a reaction from the prince, whose eyes had gone cold.

"He died well, that should please you." he continued. "No bribe attempts or blubbering. He simply said please. Please, I need to live. It was the please that caught my memory. I asked what was so important for him; 'True love' he replied. And then he spoke of a prince of surpassing charm and faithfulness...I can only assume he meant you." He sighed. "You should bless me for destroying him before he found out what you really are."

Arthur's eyes lit up with rage. "And what am I?"

"Faithfulness he talked of, your enduring faithfulness! Now tell me truly, when you found out he was gone did you get engaged to your lovely princess that same hour or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?" The man yelled. The prince's face contorted with rage.

"You mocked me once! Never do it again! I died that day!" he screamed. The man in black looked over his shoulder as he heard the sound of the approaching rescue party for Arthur, but the prince's attention was fixed firmly on the man before him. "You can die too, for all I care!" he finished as he pushed the man down the hill. As he rolled, the prince could hear the man yelling back at him.

"As….. you… wish... you...prat!"

Arthur's eyes widened at the words as he realized the identity of the man he'd just told to die. "Merlin! My god, what have I done?" Thinking only of his lost love, Arthur threw himself down the hill and began to roll to the bottom.

* * *

 

When Arthur finally came to a stop, he saw that the other man's mask had fallen off halfway down the hill, revealing the face of the manservant he had thought dead. Merlin edged over to the prince and smiled at him, his light blue eyes sparkling. "Are you okay? Can you move?" he asked.

Arthur reached up and stroked his love's cheek. "Move? You're alive; I could fly if you want."

Merlin and the prince embraced. "I told you I would always come for you." Merlin whispered, before pulling away. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I thought you were dead, Merlin." Arthur answered sincerely.

Merlin chuckled and cupped the prince's face in his hand. "Not even death can stop true love; it can only delay it for a little while."

Arthur smiled and pressed his forehead against his love's. "I'll never doubt it again."

"There will never be a need." Merlin whispered, before pressing a long, passionate kiss to the prince's lips.

* * *

Morgana and her knights were riding up to the ridge when they saw the prince and his captor escape down the steep hill on the other side. "They must have seen us closing in," she reasoned "which would account for his panicking into error. They seem to be heading straight into the fire swamp." The knights all shifted uncomfortably, hoping they wouldn't follow the two men in. "We can cut them off on the other side when they come out."

"Do you believe they'll survive in there, sister?" Morgause asked, and the princess smirked.

"You saw the marks on the ground as well as I where he defeated the giant. He's a sorcerer. They'll survive."

* * *

Merlin and Arthur ran along the ravine floor into the nearby trees, and the pirate looked over his shoulder at their pursuers. He smiled. "Your fiancé is too late." He cheered. "A few more steps and we'll be safe in the fire swamp."

Arthur's eyes widened. "We'll never survive in there!"

"You're only saying that because no one ever has." Merlin chuckled confidently, raising his eyebrow at the prince.

The two trudged through the boggy terrain of the Fire Swamp, on guard against the dangers of the treacherous marsh.

"Hmm… it's not that bad in here." Merlin noted after a while, causing Arthur to look at him strangely. "Well I'm not saying I'd like to build a summer home here but the trees are actually quite lovely."

Arthur smiled and shook his head before walking slightly ahead of him. Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound and before the prince could react, fire shot from the ground, catching the sleeve of his shirt on fire.

Thinking fast, Merlin held his hand out over the flames and whispered something. His eyes flashed gold and the fire quickly died. He gently grabbed Arthur's arm and looked to make sure he was okay. "Well now, that was an adventure." He joked. "Singed a bit, were you?"

Arthur shook his head, still in a small state of shock. "You?" Merlin held his love's hand and kissed it.

"Never." He smiled.

They walked deeper into the swamp, avoiding the occasional geyser of flames. After pushing Arthur away from a geyser for a third time, he turned to the prince and drew his sword. "Well, one thing I will say; the fire swamp certainly does keep you on your toes. This will all soon be but a happy memory." He stated as he began to cut away some vines that blocked their path. "Cenred's ship Revenge is banked at the far end. And as you know I am Cenred."

"But how's that possible, since he's been marauding 20 years and you only left Camelot 5 years ago?"

"I was as surprised as you. See, what I told you before about saying please was true...it intrigued Cenred, as did my descriptions of you. Finally, Cenred decided something. He said, 'Alright Merlin, I've never had a manservant before; you can try if you'd like. I'll most likely to kill you in the morning.' For three years said that. 'Good night Merlin, good work, sleep well, I'll most likely to kill you in the morning.' All the while, I was learning to fence, fight, and use magic. And then it happened." He paused and pulled Arthur away from yet another geyser.

"Cenred had grown so rich, he wanted to retire." He continued. "He took me to his cabin and told me his secret. 'I am not the Dread Pirate Cenred,' he said 'my name is Lancelot. I inherited this ship from the previous Dread Pirate Cenred, just as you will inherit it from me. The real Cenred had been retired 15 years and was living like a king in Nemeth.' He explained that the name was what was important for inspiring the necessary fear. You see, no one would surrender to the Dread Pirate Merlin. So we sailed ashore, took on an entirely new crew and I have been Cenred ever since." He stopped and looked lovingly into Arthur's eyes. "Except now that were together, I shall retire and hand the name over to someone else. Is everything clear to you?"

Arthur nodded, and Merlin's face lit up with happiness. He took a step forward and was abruptly sucked into the ground, dropping his sword.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, looking for something he could use to help him. Grabbing Merlin's sword, the prince cut a vine and held on tightly to one end before jumping into the lightning sand after his love. For a few seconds, the swamp was completely silent. Then, the vine began to twitch and Arthur burst out of the sand, holding Merlin close. Both men began gasping for air as they laid out on the ground, coughing sand out of their lungs.

"We'll never succeed. We may as well die here." Arthur choked out. Merlin stood up and shook his head.

"We have already succeeded. I mean, what are the three terrors of the fire swamp? One," he held one finger up "the flame spurt - no problem there's a popping sound preceding each. We can avoid that. Two," he held up another finger "the lightning sand, which we were clever enough to discover what that looks like, so in the future it can be avoided too."

"What about wilderen?"

Merlin chuckled. "I don't think they exis-"

Out of nowhere, a giant, hairless rat-creature pounced the sorcerer, biting into his shoulder. Merlin struggled against it as Arthur picked up the pirate's weapon and stabbed the rodent. It reared back in pain and moved to attack the prince. A popping sound came from Merlin's right and he used his magic to throw the wilderen towards it just as the flames shot up from the ground. The wilderen set on fire and squealed in pain, attempting to roll around and put out the flames. Merlin took his sword from Arthur and approached the beast, stabbing it out of its misery.

The two men looked at each other for a moment before laughing at the fact they were alive. Merlin pulled Arthur close and pressed his lips against the prince's temple, before taking his hand and leading him out of the swamp.

* * *

Arthur sighed with relief as he and Merlin walked out of the swamp intact. "We did it!" he cheered, and Merlin smiled smugly.

"Now, was that so terrible?"

Their joy was short lived as horses came galloping out of the trees, and they found themselves surrounded by the knights of Avalon, each with a crossbow aimed at them. Merlin held up his sword defensively and pushed Arthur behind him. Morgana rode up to the pair, closely followed by Morgause. She sneered at the pirate.

"Surrender." She ordered. Merlin held his hand to his chest.

"You wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept."

"I give you full marks for bravery. Don't make yourself a fool." The princess spat.

"Ah, but how will you capture us? We know the secrets of the fire swamp. We can live there happily for some time, so whenever you feel like dying, feel free to visit." Merlin threatened with a smirk as one of the knights let loose an arrow. Merlin easily cut the bolt in half with his sword and made to lunge at the princess, but Morgause's eyes flashed gold and his sword was thrown from his hand. He stepped back and put a protective arm around Arthur.

"I tell you once again, surrender!" Morgana demanded, clenching her jaw.

"Death first!" Merlin shouted, holding up his hand to use magic. Arthur looked around at the knights, weighing their options. He knew that, as skilled as Merlin was, even he could not face all of Morgana's knights and fend off Morgause's magic. They'd surely kill him, and Arthur couldn't let that happen.

"Will you promise not to hurt him?" the prince asked, drawing everyone's attention.

"What?" Morgana and Merlin asked in unison. Arthur stepped out of Merlin's defensive grip and stood before his fiancé.

"If we surrender, and I return with you, will you promise not to hurt Merlin?" Morgana nodded in response. "He is a sailor on the pirate ship Revenge. Promise that he will be returned to his ship."

Morgana smirked. "I promise."

Arthur turned to say goodbye to his love as Morgana leaned in to whisper orders to her sister.

"Once we're out of sight, take him and throw him in the Pit of Despair."

Morgause smiled evilly. "Of course, sister."

Merlin looked sadly at Arthur, who had tears running down his cheeks. "I thought you were dead once, and it almost destroyed me." the prince stated, biting his lip to hold in more tears. "I could not bear it if you died again, not when I could save you." He reached out and stroked Merlin's cheek before a knight approached and escorted Arthur to a nearby horse. The party rode off, leaving Merlin alone with Morgause and two other knights.

"Come, Merlin." Morgause beckoned. "We will take you back to your ship."

Merlin turned and stared at her coldly. "We are both people of action. Lies do not become us."

"Very well said." She sneered and motioned for the two knights to grab him.

"You're a sorceress, right? Someone I know was looking for you." The pirate chucked, before being knocked unconscious by one of the knights.

* * *

When Merlin next opened his eyes, he was in a large underground room chained down to a table, his shirt removed. A Druid who was a few years younger than him with dark hair and blue eyes stood over him, cleaning his shoulder wound with a cloth.

"Where am I?" Merlin demanded, his words slightly slurring. The Druid looked at him with sadly. "You are in the Pit of Despair. There is no escape, so don't try. The chains around your wrists are impervious to magic, and do not hope for rescue either. The entrance is a secret. Only the princess, Morgause and I know how to get in or out." Merlin looked at the boy curiously as he continued to tend to his wound.

"I am here until I die?"

The Druid shrugged. "Until Morgause or Morgana kill you, yes."

"Then why are you bothering to cure me?"

"The sisters insisted that you be healthy before they break you." Merlin nodded and pursed his lips.

"So, they're going to torture me. I can deal with torture." He looked over at the Druid, who was shaking his head vigorously. "You don't believe me?"

The Druid gave the pirate a slight grin. "You must be very brave to survive the fire swamp, but no one can withstand Morgause's magic." He warned, before leaving Merlin's side.

* * *

The King died that very night, and before the following dawn, Arthur and Morgana were married. And at noon he met his subjects again, this time as their king. Arthur stepped out into the courtyard with Morgana on his arm and a small, fake smile on his lips. The people of Camelot bowed as they walked by, until they reached one old woman who spit at the king's feet. Arthur looked the woman in the face. "Why do you do this?"

"Because you had love in your hands and you gave it up!" the woman answered harshly.

He shook his head. "If I hadn't, they'd have killed Merlin." He argued, and the woman spat at his feet again.

"Your true love lives and you marry another! True love saved him in the fire swamp, and he treated it like garbage. And that's what he is, the King of Refuse. So bow down to him if you want. Bow to the King of Slime, the King of Filth, the King of Putrescence!" She stepped forward and began to yell in Arthur's face. "Rubbish! Filth! Slime! Muck! Boo! Boo! Boo!"

* * *

Arthur awoke from his dream horrified. It was ten days until the wedding. The king still lived, but the prince's nightmares were becoming steadily worse. Putting on his night robe, Arthur made his way to the council chambers, where Morgana was sitting, reading over knights' reports with Morgause.

"It comes to this: I love Merlin, I always have - I know now I always will. I cannot marry you."

Morgana looked up from her reports and smiled."Certainly. If that is what you want, my lord, consider it done." She looked to her sister. "You did return Merlin to his ship, did you not?"

"Of course, sister." Morgause responded slyly, though Arthur did not notice.

"Then we will simply alert him." She stood and walked over to the prince. "I must ask though, Arthur; are you certain he still wants you? After all it was you who did the leaving in the fire swamp. Not to mention that pirates are not known as men of their words."

"Merlin will come for me. Always." The prince stated surely.

Morgana pursed her lips. "Then I suggest a deal. You write four copies of a letter. I'll send my four fastest ships, one in each direction. The Dread Pirate Cenred is always close to Camelot this time of year. We'll run up the white flag and deliver your message. If Merlin wants you, bless you both; if not, please consider marrying me, if only just to unite our kingdoms. Are we agreed?"

Arthur considered this and nodded in agreement before returning to his room to write the letters.

* * *

"Arthur inspires love and loyalty in the people. You have chosen your husband well, Morgana." Morgause commented as the sisters walked through the forest on the outskirts of Camelot.

"Yes, I know." The princess agreed as they approached a rather large tree in the center of the grove. "It's strange, but when I hired Agravaine to have him murdered, I thought it was clever. But it's going to be so much more moving when his father dies from his so-called 'illness and I murder the prince on our wedding night. Once Mercia is blamed for the new king's death, Camelot will demand we go to war, and as the grieving wife, I will oblige."

The sisters laughed as Morgause raised her hands towards the tree. Her eyes flashed gold and a door opened in the trunk. She turned to the princess. "Are you coming down into the pit? Merlin's got his strength back. I'm starting his torture tonight."

Morgana sighed. "No, I really must get back to Camelot before I am missed."

Morgause hugged her sister. "Get some rest, sister." Morgana turned and walked back to Camelot as Morgause descended the stairs within the tree into the Pit of Despair.

* * *

Merlin watched as the blonde sorceress circled him, eyeing him evilly. "You know, you could have destroyed all of our plans. Arthur could've sailed away with you and everything my sister and I worked for would have been ruined. All because of you." She smirked, holding her hand over his chest. Her eyes flashed gold and Merlin felt as though all of the life was being ripped out him. After a minute or two, Morgause ended her spell, and the pirate let out a cry of pain.

Morgause looked at Merlin with a raised eyebrow. "Interesting. Most people pass out from the pain."

"What are you going to do to Arthur?" Merlin managed to wheeze. The sorceress chuckled.

"Let's just say that his death will bring about a new age for both Camelot and Avalon." She held her hand over him again and let her spell attack him.

* * *

Morgana was sitting at the king's bedside when Sir Leon entered. He bowed. "You wished to see me, milady?"

"Yes, Leon. The king tells me that you are his most trusted knight, and so I trust you, and only you, with this secret. I have been told by an anonymous source that a group of Mercian assassins are infiltrating the Thieves' Forest and plan to murder Arthur on our wedding night. On the day of the wedding, I want the Thieves' Forest emptied and every inhabitant arrested."

"Yes, milady." He crossed the room to stand beside the sleeping form of Uther. "How fares the king?"

"His breath is leaving him. Gaius says he won't last the week." She stood. "We should let him rest."

"Of course." Leon responded, exiting the king's chambers. Morgana waited until the knight was out of sight before opening the ring on her finger over the king's water and sprinkling some powder from it. She smirked at Uther before leaving the room.

* * *

The day of the wedding arrived and the knights had their hands full carrying out Morgana's orders. Sir Leon and the knights had removed most of the people from the forest, but there was one drunken rogue that was giving them a hard time.

"I am waiting for you Agravaine!" Gwaine shouted to the sky as he sat on the ground outside of the tavern. "You told me to go back to the beginning, so I have. This is where I am, and this is where I'll stay. I will not be moved."

"By the king's orders, you need to leave." A knight commanded, reaching down to grab Gwaine's arm. Before the knight could react, the rogue's sword was at the man's throat, and he looked him in the eye dangerously.

"I know Agravaine..." Gwaine's voice slurred slightly "when the job went wrong he went back to the beginning...And this is where we got the job, so it's the beginning. And I am staying 'till Agravaine comes."

The knight looked behind the rogue and his eyes widened with fear. He ran off in the other direction as a large arm grabbed Gwaine from behind.

"Hello, Gwaine." A familiar voice greeted. Gwaine turned cheerfully.

"Perce! It's you!" He hugged his old friend, who crinkled his nose in disgust.

"You don't look so good...or smell so good either." Gwaine laughed at his large friend.

"Perhaps not, but I feel fantas-" his eyes rolled up in his head as he passed out into Percival's arms, who just shook his head at the rogue's drunken antics.

Gwaine and Percival were reunited, and as Percival nursed his inebriated friend back to health, he told him of Agravaine's death and the existence of the Lady Morgana's cruel sister, Morgause, a blonde brown eyed sorceress. After sobering up, Gwaine demanded to know where the sorceress was.

"She's in the castle, guarded by thirty men. I don't know if I could handle more than ten."

Gwaine sighed. "That would leave twenty for me, which I couldn't handle on my best day." He cursed and thought hard. "I'm terrible at strategy. We need someone smart like Agravaine, someone... the man in black!"

Percival raised an eyebrow at the rogue, who quickly explained. "Look, he bested you at strength, your greatness. He bested me with steel. He must have out-thought Agravaine, and a man who can do that can plan my castle onslaught any day!"

"You're forgetting something. We don't know where he is." Percival pointed out, but Gwaine just smiled at him with a slightly crazed look in his eye.

"Don't bother me with trifles, after fifteen years at last my father's death will be avenged. There will be blood tonight!"

* * *

Morgana sat in her chambers, sharpening the dagger she intended on killing Arthur with, when there was a knock at her door. "Enter." She called, quickly hiding the weapon. Leon came in and bowed.

"My lady, I thought I would inform you that the forest has been emptied and there are thirty men now stationed at the castle gates."

"Double it." She ordered. "We must ensure the prince's safety."

"The gate has one key, and I have it." Leon held up the key and Morgana smiled with contentment. She heard someone else enter the room and she looked over to see Arthur standing by.

"Leon, would you excuse us?" The prince asked. The knight nodded and quickly exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"What's bothering you, Arthur?" the princess inquired, rising from her chair and approaching her fiancé.

"I wanted to know if you'd heard from Merlin."

The princess shook her head. "I am sorry, there has been no word back. I did try to warn you-"

"You didn't really send the letters did you, Morgana?" the prince interrupted looking her in the eye. When she didn't answer and Arthur scoffed. "It doesn't matter. Merlin will come anyway. He will always come for me."

Morgana's eyes narrowed. "You're a fool, Arthur Pendragon."

"Yes, I was, for believing an evil witch like you." Arthur spat. Morgana sneered.

"Careful, dear prince, I would not say such things if I were you."

Arthur smiled defiantly. "Why not? You can't hurt me. Merlin and I are joined by the bonds of love, and you cannot track that; not with a thousand bloodhounds. And you cannot break it, not with a thousand swords. And when I say you're a witch, it is only because you are the most horrible, heartless creature to ever crawl the Earth."

Morgana slapped the prince across his face and stared at him acidly. "You will pay for such impudence."

She stormed out of her chambers, out of the castle and into the forest, where she found the entrance to the pit. Her eyes flashed gold, opening the door and she entered.

Merlin was still chained to the table, barely holding on to consciousness as Morgause finished her latest torture session. He stared in surprise at the princess, who was never around for the sessions, and flinched when she grabbed his face, her nails digging into his cheeks.

"Tell me, Merlin, why on earth does he love someone as pitiful and worthless as you?" she asked venomously. Merlin tried to laugh in her face, but he was in so much pain that it came out as a cough.

"I wouldn't expect a heartless bitch like you to understand." He answered, grinning to himself with satisfaction. Morgana's nostrils flared as she tightened her grip on his face.

"You truly love each other, and so you might have been truly happy. But now, I will make sure that no man in a century will suffer as greatly as you will now. And tonight, when I cut out your precious prince's heart, I will make sure that he knows you abandoned him and left him to die." She smiled widely at the man's horrified expression as she held her hand over his body and angrily chanted the spell Morgause had used on him. This time, Merlin jerked and twisted in pain, which had been increased tenfold. After a few seconds, he threw his head back and let out an inhuman scream of agony and heartbreak.

* * *

Gwaine's ears perked up to the sound of an echoing scream. "Perce, do you hear that?"

The giant listened closely."It's a man screaming."

Gwaine nodded eagerly."That is the sound of ultimate suffering. I made that sound when Morgause slaughtered my father. The man in black makes it now."

Percival raised his eyebrow. "How do you know that's the man in black?"

"His true love is marrying another tonight. So who else is the cause for ultimate suffering?" the rogue reasoned, running towards the source of the noise.

* * *

Eventually, Merlin's body stopped convulsing and his screams were silenced. Morgana stopped her spell, and smirked, pleased with her work. Morgause approached the pirate and checked for a pulse. "He's dead."

"Now, sister, all we have to worry about is Arthur." The sisters grinned at one another before exiting the pit, leaving the pirate's body for the rats.

* * *

Gwaine and Percival followed the screams until they came across a young druid pushing a wheelbarrow in the middle of the grove. The rogue drew his sword and pointed it at the boy's back. "Try to use magic and my friend here will break both of your hands." He threatened as the Druid turned to face his assailants. "Now," he continued. "Where is the man in black?"

"I don't know." The Druid responded nervously.

"Perce, jog his memory." Percival stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.

"Wait!" The Druid cried in fear. "I'll take you to him! Just don't break me!"

The boy led them to a large tree in the very center of the grove. Gwaine snorted. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The Druid rolled his eyes. "The door can only be opened with magic." His eyes flashed and the tree opened, revealing a large staircase. The rogue and the giant approached the entrance, but the Druid held out his arm. "You won't tell Morgana or Morgause about this, will you? They'll murder me."

Gwaine chuckled. "Just say that we overpowered you and knocked you unconscious." He replied, as Percival hit the boy in the back of the head with the butt of his sword. The boy crumbled to the ground and the pair rushed into the pit after the man in black. They found him lying motionless on a table.

"Hey, he's pretty attractive without the mask." Gwaine noted, causing Percival to roll his eyes as he checked the man for a heartbeat. After a few minutes, the giant let out a defeated sigh and shook his head. "Dead."

"That's just not fair." Gwaine complained, as he leaned against the table, trying to think of a new plan. He snapped his fingers. "Perce, how much money do you have?"

Percival shrugged. "A little; why?"

"Grab the body. We're going to go buy a miracle."

* * *

About an hour later, they stood in front of a small wooden house in the middle of the forest, holding up Merlin's body. Percival took the body while Gwaine knocked on the door of the cottage. A peephole in the door opened and an older man looked out at the visitors. "What do you want?"

"Are you Kilgharrah, the miracle man who worked for King Uther all those years ago?"

"You mean until he fired me? Yes, thank you so much for bringing up such a painful subject. While you're at it, why don't you give me a nice paper cut, and pour lemon juice on it. We're closed!"

"Please," Gwaine begged. "We need your help. It's extremely important."

"Why would you want someone the king fired? I might kill whoever you want to make the miracle."

"He's already dead." Percival answered, shaking Merlin's body for emphasize.

The old man sighed and opened the door. "Bring him in." The giant carried the pirate into the house and laid him down on a nearby table.

"How long is this going to take? We're in a rush." Gwaine asked, causing Kilgharrah to glare at the rogue.

"You can't rush miracles. I'm not even sure if it's possible to help him. To save someone from this state, they need something worth living for, something really good. Does he?"

Gwaine and Percival gave each other questioning looks and shrugged. The miracle man rolled his eyes. "I guess I'll have to ask him myself." He reached for a bellows and placed it in Merlin's mouth.

"He's dead, he can't talk." Gwaine argued, resulting in another glare from the old man.

"It just so happens that your friend here is only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. All dead means there is nothing you can do but mostly dead is still slightly alive." Kilgharrah pumped air into the man's lungs before removing the bellows.

"What's so important? What do you have that's worth living for?" he asked before pushing the air from the pirate's lungs.

"True… love…." He wheezed, causing Gwaine and Percival to smile.

"You see, true love. Nothing more worth living for than that." The rogue exclaimed, before seeing the miracle man shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, it's not enough-" he began, but he was quickly cut off by a young girl shouting.

"Liar! You liar!" A young girl with long white hair and icy blue eyes came running from the other room. "You know that true love is more than enough, but you doubt your miracles."

"Aithusa, you don't understand…"

"I understand that you won't even try."

The old man sighed and looked at the dead body in front of him. "If it helps," Gwaine interjected. "This man is Prince Arthur's true love. If you save him and we can get him to the castle tonight and stop the wedding, the prince will be eternally grateful and probably give you your job back."

Kilgharrah and Aithusa both smiled at this thought, and after a few seconds, the miracle man nodded in agreement.

"Gentleman, let's make a miracle."

 

* * *

Night was falling when Gwaine and Percival dragged Merlin's body to the wall outside the castle. Percival's eyes widened at the amount of guards at the entrance. "Gwaine, that's more than thirty."

The rogue waved his hand dismissively. "That doesn't matter. We have him." He pointed to the limp pirate and smiled. "Now, help me put the pill in his mouth." Percival forced Merlin's mouth open as Gwaine shoved the pill the miracle man gave them in his mouth.

Percival furrowed his brow. "Are you sure it's time? Kilgharrah said to wait fifteen minutes." The rogue rolled his eyes.

"We don't have time, Perce. The wedding is in half an hour." The two sat by and waited for the pill to take effect. Percival pursed his lips.

"How long will it take to work?"

Suddenly, Merlin's eyes flew open and darted back and forth in panic. "I'll beat you both apart! I'll take you both together!"

Gwaine laughed at the man's outburst, and, recognizing the two men, Merlin began to calm down. "Why am I on this wall? Where's Arthur? And why can't I move?"

"I would love to explain, but we're running out of time, so I'll sum up everything. "You've been mostly dead all day. We had Kilgharrah, the miracle man, make a pill to bring you back. Arthur is marrying Morgana in little less than half an hour. So all we have to do is get in, break up the wedding, save the prince, stop the princess, and kill Morgause."

"That doesn't give us much time." Merlin pointed out. "What are our liabilities?"

"There is but one working castle gate, and it is guarded by sixty men. And only Sir Leon had the key." Percival explained.

"And our assets?"

"Your brains and magic, Perce's strength, my steel."

"That's it?" Merlin shook his head. "If I had a month to plan maybe I could come up with something. But this..."

"Hey, you just shook your head!" Gwaine cheered. "Doesn't that make you happy?"

"Your steel, his strength, my brains and the little bit of magic I can muster in this state against sixty men and you think a little head jiggle is supposed to make me happy?" the pirate snapped. "I mean if we only had a wheelbarrow, that would be something."

"Don't we still have that wheelbarrow the Druid was pushing?" Percival asked, and Gwaine nodded.

"Why didn't you list that among our assets in the first place?" Merlin growled, before biting his lip in thought. "If only we had a holocaust cloak…"

"You mean like this?" Percival pulled a large black cloak from his bag and Gwaine raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you get that?"

"Aithusa gave it to me; said it might come in handy."

Merlin smiled. "Okay, help me to stand." The two grabbed the pirate up and supported him on their shoulders. "I'll also be needing a sword."

"But you can't lift one." Percival argued.

"But that isn't exactly common knowledge is it?"

The trio smiled as they hobbled away, ready to put their plan in action.

* * *

Morgana walked into Arthur's chambers to see him staring sadly out his window.

"I see you heard the news about your father." She smirked, and the prince looked at her coldly.

"Poor man." She continued. "We knew he wouldn't last much longer. It's just a shame that he didn't live to see us marry."

Arthur sneered. "I will not marry tonight, Morgana, no matter what you believe. Merlin will come and he will stop you."

Morgana let out a dark laugh. "You really are a love-struck fool, aren't you?" she taunted, as she approached the prince with an icy look in her eye. "He isn't coming for you. Not tonight, not ever. You left him, and by now he is a thousand miles away, all thoughts of his traitorous love behind him."

Arthur felt guilt and anger rise up inside him as he pushed Morgana out of his way and exited the room, leaving the princess to smirk in satisfaction.

* * *

The guards stood quietly outside of the castle gates, under orders to be prepared for anything. Unfortunately for them, they were not prepared for the dark, cloaked figured the glided into the courtyard, bringing in an ominous fog. The guards began to shift uncomfortably as the figure moved into the center of the square. "Stand your ground!" Leon ordered as the figure raised his head.

"I am the Dread Pirate Cenred!" Percival announced. "There will be no survivors!" Merlin and Gwaine, who had been pushing the wheelbarrow the giant had been standing on, stopped and Merlin slumped against the rogue, the little bit of energy he'd mustered drained for summoning the fog.

"Now?" Gwaine whispered, but Merlin shook his head.

"My men are here! I am here! ... but soon you will not be here!"

"Okay, now!" Merlin ordered, and the rogue lit the giant's cloak on fire, causing him to light up like a demon.

"The Dread Pirate Cenred takes no survivors! All your worst nightmares have but to come true! I am here for your SOULS!" Percival boomed as the guards began to scatter, running for their lives. Gwaine and Merlin chuckled at the 'brave soldiers of Camelot' as they ran around, screaming at the top of their lungs.

* * *

"Mawwiage." Geoffrey the Monmouth began, as Arthur and Morgana stood at the altar, hands reluctantly entwined. "Mawwiage is what bwings us togethaw today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a dweam..."

Leon's voice was suddenly heard yelling from outside. "Stand your ground!" Arthur bit back a smile at Morgana's annoyed frown.

"Then wove, twue wove, will follow you fowever..." Geoffrey continued as though nothing had interrupted them. Suddenly, the sounds of screams outside echoed into the chambers, and Arthur's smile grew wider.

"Please, just skip to the end!" Morgana ordered as the nervously glanced towards the door.

"Here comes my Merlin now." Arthur smirked, and Morgana stared daggers at him.

"Your precious Merlin is dead. I killed him with my own hands." The princess whispered, and Arthur grinned.

"Then why is there fear in your eyes, Morgana?"

* * *

With all of the guards gone, only Leon stood between the trio and the castle gates. "Please, give us the key." Merlin requested, giving the knight an innocent smile.

"No. I'd rather die than allow you to kill Arthur." Leon replied, squaring his chin. Merlin tilted his head in confusion.

"We are not here to kill him; we're here to save him!" He explained. "Morgana and Morgause are going to kill him to start a war!"

Leon shook his head. "Why should I believe a pirate?"

Merlin looked Leon in the eye. "Because I love Arthur more than life itself. I lost him once, and I would rather die a thousand times then lose him again. I can see that you're a good man; please help us."

Leon looked in Merlin's eyes suspiciously and saw that he was telling the truth. He took the key from his pocket and handed it to the men. Merlin smiled.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Do you, Pwince Awthur…"

"Just say man and wife!" Morgana screamed through her teeth, knowing that whoever was outside the gate were now in the castle.

"I pwonounce you man and wife."

Morgana grabbed Arthur's arm and dragged him towards the exit, Morgause close on their heels. Arthur was in a state of horror and disbelief.

"He didn't come…" was all he could whisper.

In the corridor outside, Morgana released Arthur and pointed to a nearby serving girl. "Gwen, escort him to his chambers and have some guards stand watch outside. I'll be there shortly." She demanded before she and Morgause hurried down the corridor to the commotion. The sisters split up to cover more ground, each taking a handful of guards with them.

* * *

In the end, it was Morgause who ended up finding the intruders. She smirked when she realized that they were nothing more than a rogue, a giant and a half-dead pirate who couldn't even stand on his own.

"Kill the dark one and the giant but leave the third for questioning." The blonde sorceress commanded, before the rogue stepped forward, a look of recognition on his face.

"You." he whispered, as he quickly slayed the charging guards. "Hello, my name is Gwaine. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

The sorceress shot a spell at him but, thanks to another miracle from Kilgharrah, the magic bounced off the rogue's sword. He grinned like a mad man as the blonde sorceress turned and ran. He chased after her, only to be stopped by a locked door. He cursed as he threw himself at the door, desperately trying to break it down.

"Perce! Perce, I need your help!" he shouted down the hall. Percival, who had remained where they left him holding up Merlin, looked at the floppy pirate, before yelling back "I can't just leave him alone! He can't stand!"

"Perce! She's getting away! Please!"

Percival rolled his eyes and leaned Merlin against a nearby wall. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

He rushed down the hall to see Gwaine continuously slamming himself against the door. He held out his hand to stop the rogue before kicking the door in with ease.

"Thank you, my friend." Gwaine called, running through the doorway.

When Percival made it back to the corridor, Merlin was no longer leaned against the wall, or anywhere in sight.

* * *

Arthur was still in complete shock as Gwen led him back to his chambers. The servant held his hand for comfort. "Is everything alright, my lord?" she asked, and Arthur shook his head.

"I have made a terrible mistake." He muttered as they arrived, and the girl narrowed her eyes with concern.

"My lord?"

He turned to the servant and kissed her forehead. "I would like to thank you, Gwen."

The servant smiled warmly. "Whatever for?"

"You have always been kind to me since you've arrived, even when I was unbearable to be around. You have a very kind heart; promise that you will never lose it."

Gwen looked at him curiously, but nodded. "Of course. Are you sure that you don't need something?"

The prince smiled grimly. "I'll be fine, Gwen. You are excused." He replied as he entered his chambers sadly.

The prince walked solemnly through his darkened chambers. There was only one reason why Merlin wouldn't have come for him. Morgana really killed him. He was dead again, and it was Arthur's fault for leaving him. He sat down at the table, heartbroken.

* * *

Gwaine chased Morgause through the castle, shouting behind her "Hello, my name is Gwaine. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Eventually, she came to a dead end and hearing Gwaine catching up with her, she drew her knife. When the rogue came around the corner, she threw her weapon, which struck the man in the side. Gwaine backed into the wall, clutching his side with surprise.

"I'm sorry, Father." He whispered. "I failed."

Morgause chuckled as she stepped closer to the injured rogue. "You must be that little brat I taught a lesson to all those years ago. Pathetic. You've been tracing me your whole life, only to fail now? I think that's the worst thing I ever heard. How marvelous."

Gwaine pulled out the dagger and struggled to stand. Morgause scoffed. "Are you still attempting to win?" Gwaine took a step forward, hold his magic-proof sword in front of him.

"You are either the bravest man I've ever met or the most idiotic. You cannot win!" the witch declared as Gwaine swung his sword at her. "Hello, my name is Gwaine. You killed my father, prepare to die!" he yelled, lunging at the blonde, who was backing away from the man with fear in her eyes. He charged her like a mad man until she was backed into a corner, a sword at her gut.

"Please," she begged. "I'll give you anything your heart desires."

"I want my father back, you evil son of a bitch!" he cried as he plunged his father's sword through the sorceress' gut. He smiled as her body hit the ground, and he quickly ran to find Percival and Merlin.

* * *

Arthur held his sword in his hand and hung his head. He refused to live in a world without Merlin. He'd had done it once, and it had frozen his heart. He wouldn't let that happen again. He raised his sword to his stomach, preparing to run himself through.

"You know, there's a shortage of prattish princes in the world." A voice called from behind him. "I'd hate for the world to lose the most perfect one of all."

Arthur turned in amazement to see Merlin lying in the prince's bed, with a large smile on his face. "Merlin!" he cried as he dropped his sword and rushed over to pounce his love. He ran his fingers through the pirate's hair as he began to kiss him deeply, ignoring his groans of pain. "Arthur… careful please."

"Merlin, we're together and that's all you can say?" He asked and, noticing Merlin's pain, kissed him gentler, before pulling away.

"Merlin, can you forgive me?" he asked, stroking the dark-haired man's cheek.

"What for?"

"I married Morgana. I didn't want to. It all happened so fast."

Merlin grinned. "Did you say I do?"

"What?"

"Did you say I do?" the pirate repeated. The prince thought back to the events of the wedding and shook his head.

"Not exactly. We kind of skipped that part."

"Then you're not married." Merlin chuckled, kissing his love's forehead. "If you didn't say it, it didn't happen. Isn't that right, Morgana?" he shouted, turning his attention to the doorway. The princess stood there, glowering at the man she thought she killed.

"It matters not. You being here has given me a wonderful opportunity." She declared, holding up her dagger threateningly. "When the guards find Arthur's body next to the body of the Dread Pirate Cenred, they will believe that the Mercians sent you to kill him. Without a king, Camelot will turn to me, the prince's grieving fiancé, who the prince gave the royal seal to with his last, dying breath."

Merlin began to chuckle, and Morgana raised her eyebrow. "What's so amusing?"

"You believe that you can kill me. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've already tried that once and it didn't work. What makes you think that you'll do any better this time? I, on the other hand, have more powerful magic than you can possibly imagine. You will be dead before you can even touch either of us with that dagger."

Arthur watched as Morgana and Merlin stared at one another in complete silence.

Finally, Morgana spoke up. "I think your bluffing."

"It's possible, you heartless witch, that I might be bluffing." He responded, sneering. "It's conceivable, you bitter, miserable toad, I'm only lying here because I lack the strength to stand." He sighed and looked at Arthur. "Then again, perhaps I have the strength to stand after all."

With that said, Merlin slowly pushed himself off of the bed and stood, holding his hand out with a menacing air of confidence. "Now, surrender." He ordered.

Terrified, the princess stepped back, hands held in the air. Merlin looked over to Arthur. "Grab the ropes from the curtains and tie her to that chair."

* * *

Arthur just finished tying up Morgana when Gwaine and Percival ran into the room, smiling happily. Merlin started to walk over to his friends, when his false strength left him and he began to fall to the ground. Gwaine rushed forward quickly and caught him before nodding to the prince. "Help him."

Arthur grabbed Merlin and pulled him up. "Why does Merlin need help?"

"He has no strength; he's been mostly dead all day." Percival answered, helping the prince hold the man up.

"I knew he was bluffing!" Morgana exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"What are we going to do with her?" Gwaine asked, pointing his sword to the princess' throat.

"We send her home," Merlin responded, frowning at the witch. "She will live, knowing that Arthur and I are together and happy, while she has to spend the rest of her life alone and unloved." Merlin looked at Arthur, who nodded in agreement. The four turned to get the guards, not noticing that Morgana had used her magic to untie the ropes.

She quickly grabbed her knife and threw it at Arthur's back, who was pulled out of the way by Percival at the last minute. Merlin's eyes flashed in anger and the princess was thrown backwards towards the window, which she crashed through. Percival ran over and looked out the window, before looking back and shaking his head. The Lady Morgana would not be threatening them again.

Merlin smiled Gwaine. "So, what are you planning on doing, now that Morgause and Morgana are dead?"

The rogue thought about it, before shrugging. "You know, I'm not sure. I have been in the revenge business so long; now that it's over I don't know what to do with the rest of my life."

Merlin reached over and patted the man on the shoulder. "Have you ever considered piracy? You'd make a wonderful Dread Pirate Cenred." Gwaine nodded, considering this as Merlin turned his attention to Arthur. A wave of love swept over the two as they pulled each other close and their lips joined together.

Since the invention of the kiss, there had been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. It was a kiss of true love. And at dawn, the prince and his manservant were married, safe in the knowledge that, as long as they had each other, nothing could ever harm them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading


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